the search and rescue has to be done very carefully and tediously. they have to secure all those buildings before they go in and look for the survivors. that's a very careful process and as much as everybody else wants to get in, return to their homes, see what's left, law enforcement is having none of it. they're keeping everybody out until that area can be searched and secured. we're in west, texas, nbc news. chemical fires are some of the very hardest to fight. nbc bay area's bob redell just spoke with a fire chief on the peninsula who has experience with these particular fires. he joins us live from the newsroom. it's possible that one can make the situation worse when fighting a chemical blast. >> you are correct, especially considering the chemical involved in yesterday's fire. turns out, it doesn't react well at all with father, which is obviously what firefighters were relying on to put out the flames. menlo park fire chief who's

talked about the texas city fertilizer explosion that killed hundreds in the 1940s believes yesterday's disaster will become another one for the textbooks. he has questions about how firefighters responded to the fire. >> did they make it better or worse? >> reporter: that plant reportedly stored tens of thousands of pounds of a type of ammonia, extremely flammable and explosive when exposed to water. >> with that type of ammonia, if you add water, it's going to expand to a large, white vapor cloud. did that create a different problem for them that they weren't aware of? when you have a volunteer fire department, whether they had that level of training, i don't know. >> reporter: the chief doesn't question the bravery of his texas colleagues who probably knew that they were putting their lives on the line. >> when you go to those calls, you think about dying. you could die. it doesn't always happen, but

sometimes it goes wrong. but they were doing their job and that's the job of the firefighter. not to necessarily die in the course of their duties, but, again, to put themselves between the emergency and the community. >> reporter: there was a chemical explosion here in the bay area many years ago at the catalytica plant here palo alto. nowhere near the scale of west, texas. but the plant shut down as a result. menlo park fire says a spark caused the chemicals to explode as they were being transferred between drums. apparently those drums weren't grounded properly. reporting live here in the newsroom, bob redell, nbc bay area news. >> bob, thank you so much. now moving on to the terror in boston. the president is offering his support to boston just three days after the blast that killed three and injured almost 200

more. terry mcsweenny is live outside the cathedral of the holy cross in boston where an interfaith service just wrapped up. good morning. >> reporter: good afternoon here in boston on a beautiful spring day. president obama coming to town, obviously to offer words of comfort but more than that, he offered words of resolve, resiliency and power to the people of boston and to people of the united states. this is president obama inside the cathedral of the holy cross. but today, this was an interfaith service. the president joined by first lady, michelle, as well as by boston and massachusetts political leaders. mr. obama had words of comfort for the victims and their families. he talked about the strength of america and how well we come together in these times of trouble and terror. and he spoke directly to the people of boston, words of inspiration to a city in need of them. >> we will all be with you as you learn to stand and walk and,

yes, run again. of that i have no doubt, you will run again. >> reporter: outside the cathedral, a huge turnout. in addition to the more than 1,000 inside the cathedral, this was the largest public gathering in boston since the marathon. people telling me they just had to be here to show strength and solidarity. first, we'll hear from a santa cruz man now living in boston. and then from a woman, a mother, who brought her 6-year-old daughter to be outside during the service. >> we wanted to be here as a show of solidarity with the city of boston, the victims. we wanted to make sure that they weren't standing alone. >> i think we're well-protected. i think we have some really great people working and protecting our country and our president's here. to us, it's so important to really demonstrate our support. we need to unite. >> reporter: as you would expect, security, very tight around the cathedral. police from all over massachusetts are here. no incidents that i saw.

a very respectful, very somber crowd and a huge turnout here today as people come down here to express themselves and sometimes even in silence. even as the investigation goes on and the search for the suspects in this case continues. live in boston, terry mcsweeney, nbc bay area news. >> terry, we just heard from a couple of people who you spoke to about the president and the service overall. what's the takeaway? do you think the president's presence helped? >> reporter: i talked to a number of people coming out of this service and it was remarkable. to a person that i talked to maybe eight or ten people, they were saying that it really did help. one woman saying that this shows that boston's coming together and they've got back-up. another young woman said, i feel better, isn't that weird? didn't even know how it happened but she felt better and that was the purpose of this trip. and it apparently succeeded. >> terry mcsweeney, thank you so

much for your live coverage from boston and as always we'll continue to follow new developments surrounding the explosion here on nbc bay area and online on our website, nbcbayarea.com. in other news, this afternoon, the attorney for audrie pott's family will answer questions about the new legal claim they filed against the south bay school district they say did nothing to stop their daughter from being bullied. they stay they're outraged at the district's response to their allegations. they say the district didn't do anything when they knew the student was being bullied. the family says they discussed the issue with the district months before audrie's death. the district says, quote, our internal investigation showed that audrie never reported or sought counseling for bullying before or after the alleged sexual assault. if she had, our staff would have reported it and taken preventative steps to stop it.

audrie hanged herself just over a week after pictures of the alleged assault spread all over the internet. our question is whether the school was aware of any of this bullying. >> if the dissemination of the photographs and the bullying occurred on campus between students, then that's something that the school perhaps should have prevented. >> the three 16-year-old boys accused of the sexual assault were questioned. the district's statement reads, quote, school districts cannot suspend or expel someone based solely on alleged behavior outside of school. if you'd like to read all four pages of the school's response, we have posted it on our website, nbcbayarea.com. now to an investigative unit exclusive. there could be surprises in the coming years for people who

don't have insurance under the new federal health care law. it will come during tax time. there was a wrinkle discovered in the new health care law involving the irs and you. the man who oversees the irs says the agency needs to do a better job getting the word out. the law is known as the affordable care act. few people outside lawyers and accountants' offices know that it will penalize many people who do not have health insurance by docking their tax refunds. and that, says the man who oversees the irs, presents a problem because he says the agency has not publicized this penalty as much as it should. >> many americans do not realize the extend that the internal revenue service will be involved in the implementation of the affordable care act. >> the irs would not comment on its inspector general's criticisms but it is already getting ready to play enforcer in this new law. just last week, president obama has asked congress for $440

million to help the irs get ready to oversee this part of the health care law. coming up tonight, nbc bay area investigative reporter steven stock breaks down this new law in detail and he has the list of penalties that you will have to pay if you don't have health insurance. that's tonight at 11:00. coming up, a disruption for the ceremony to commemorate the great 1906 earthquake. why people were kept away from lotta's fountain in san francisco. twitter expands into music. find out what your friends are listening to. and as the wind dies down, the heat cranked up across the bay area. if you're trying to get outdoors, spend time with loved ones this weekend, stick around, your full forecast is coming up next. ♪ alright, let's go.

♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate. ♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate. ♪ we, we chocolate cross over. ♪ yeah, we chocolate cross over. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing fiber one 80 calorie chocolate cereal. ♪ chocolate. ♪ the one and only, cheerios for the very first time in more than 100 years, people in san francisco did not surround lotta's fountain at 5:11 this morning to commemorate the anniversary of the 1906 quake.

nbc bay area's christie smith joins us live along market street where that fountain is with a bomb scare that forced organizers to change their plans. christie? >> reporter: good morning to you, marla. it wasn't the ceremony that anyone had planned but it did work out in the end. the wreath that is normally placed at lotta's fountain is back up this morning after a suspicious package disrupted a longstanding tradition. instead of crowds in costumes, the bomb squads walked the streets on market street near lotta's fountain this morning. >> i walked out of the hotel and a cop was making a beeline for me. i said, i know i look silly. but they told me, go back to the hotel and await further orders. >> reporter: bob is the emcee of the commemoration. but a bag left on the street threw a curve. >> obviously the classic suspicious package. and in light of what happened in

boston, erring on the side of caution, the area was shut down. >> reporter: but the ceremony always happens around 5:11 when the quake hit. so now what? >> i have the cell phone, everybody calls going, what the heck is the matter? >> reporter: lee says a quick decision got the crowd moving four blocks away to union square just in time. ♪ this, the 107th year. but without any of the three survivors. he says one did manage to come out to a parade last night. >> they're smart and they're cooking. but they don't want to get up that early anymore. so we are now doing this without survivors. and that's okay because we will honor this incredible event in san francisco's history. >> reporter: as the streets cleared, they hung the wreath back at the fountain, another example, they say, of the city's can-do spirit. >> the quake struck, the earth shook, we burned and we turned

around. people forget about that part, that we turned around and we rebuilt this city. >> reporter: it turns out what was in that bag was harmless. it was just a bunch of clothes and papers. this is the first time the ceremony was disrupted. but it was moved before, i'm told, in 1916 and that was to mark the ten-year anniversary. and that's when it was moved to san francisco city hall. reporting live in san francisco, christie smith, nbc bay area news. new ways to discover new music this morning. scott mcgrew says twitter has a brand-new beat. >> yes, good morning. people just logging into the new system, take a look for yourself, it shows what your friends are recommending for music. there are a number of services that do this already, including spotif spotify, my favorite. the new twitter music is worth a try. it's a new app for your iphone or ipad. google reports profits this

afternoon, the company just started distributing the google glass device. we've talked so much about this. that's not going to show up in their financials, not just because it's a small number but because the quarter that google will be referring to is technically already over. do watch for lower margins in their report. this is something we often look for when we look at google numbers. costs could continue to go up. larry page, the ceo, worries less about costs and more about changing the world. back to you. >> scott, thanks so much. we are just one day away from the weekend with the winds dying down. meteorologist christina loren, look at that gorgeous shot behind you. >> finally, marla, this camera is not getting violently rotated by that wind. as we head throughout the day today, the winds are still pretty strong. but they're dying down and certainly nothing like what we were dealing with on monday or tuesday. yesterday we started to see those winds decrease. and today, happy to report all your wind speeds sustained below 10 miles per hour. that's why that camera is

holding a lot more steady at this hour. your temperatures are warming up so nicely. these are your current readings. novato at 68. 68 for livermore. we're at a comfortable 66 degrees in san jose. 70 currently in gilroy. headed towards the 80s and the warmest cities across the bay area as high pressure builds in. this is a strong ridge with a lot of energy. we're expecting those temperatures to reach the 90s before all is said and done in some of the metropolitan cities. talking about the warmest air of the season so far. not until monday, we'll warm you up all the way through then. offshore winds return and that means the 90s return to places like livermore heading through monday. going to be a hot day today as well. want to give you the beach forecast. pacifica, 65 degrees. take your kids to the beach out there. make sure you bring the spf 30. the winds have calmed down. a lot more comfortable out there on the soft sands of half moon bay. 69 degrees. and 72, not too bad in santa

cruz. that's the place to be. the warmest weather and the surf has calmed down as well as the winds have calmed down. 78 degrees in the east shore, places like fremont staying nice and warm for today. friday into the upcoming weekend, look at those numbers. we have a rapid warm-up. we'll be in the 90s by monday. and just about as warm tuesday into wednesday. and that means if you're like me, pasty white, want to put a little bit of tan in your life, plenty of opportunity to do so next week. >> just don't forget the spf. christina, thank you. still to come, when the warriors will play their first playoff game in six years.

tickets go on sale today for the annual outside lands concert. as we told you yesterday morning, big headliners will be in golden gate park this year. paul mccartney, red hot chili peppers and cunnane-inch nails are expected to perform in august. tickets go on sale today at noon on the website. google is announcing a new set of rules this morning for its highly coveted gadget google glass. the company says it will not allow people to resell, loan or give the $1,500 device to anyone else without google's permission first. google says if someone violates the rule, it could deactivate the computerized eyewear and will not issue a refund. another rule, developers will not be allowed to place ads on the device and they cannot charge people to download apps for the eyewear either. for the first time in six years, the warriors are gearing up for the playoffs. golden state locking up the number six seed in the western

conference capping off their regular season with a win in portland. last night was all about that guy, steph curry, number 30. he set a new record for three-pointers in a single season. he made it 270 this year, nailing a three-pointer in the second quarter. curry finished the season with 272 baskets from beyond the arc. warriors win 99-88 setting up a first-round match-up against the denver nuggets. four games in the best of seven series, game one is saturday in denver at the pepsi center. the first home game is a week from tomorrow. tickets for the games at oracle arena in oakland go on sale saturday morning at 10:00. and then this, brand-new video into our newsroom. the city of oakland showing its pride for their warriors, raising the team flag at city hall. that's where it will continue to fly as long as the warriors keep their season alive in the playoffs. coming up, the underwear made for summer weather.

we'll show it to you after the break.

welcome back. japan's hot and humid summer is just around the corner and some department stores say they have just the thing for men to wear this summer, energy-saving underwear. japan's national campaign to save energy is called "cool biz." this department store in osaka just launched its cool biz sales blitz. businessmen are encouraged to wear light clothing instead of relying on air conditioners. forecasters are predicting a very hot summer. japanese fashion designers have responded with this, qu quick-drying fabrics and a bikini brief for men. the department store is expecting a 10% rise in sales from last year. and you being in the weather department, you can appreciate this type of clothing, especially this coming weekend we're going to need that. >> yeah, i think it's going to turn the heat up a little bit more. maybe they're not going in the right direction.

>> we know what you mean. thank you so much for being with us. join us tonight at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00. also all day long at nbcbayarea.com. have a great day. enjoy the nice weather. (sir can-a-lot) good day, ma' lady. i am sir can-a-lot, here to save you from another breakfast bore.

wake up those eggs with glorious spam! (male announcer) break the monotony. visit spam.com.

- merry christmas eve eve, jack. - likewise, lemon. is there any chance you'll still be around tomorrow? - sure. you want to go to the penn station kmart with me and then watch tootsie? - i'm sorry. that's what you're doing instead of spending christmas eve with your family? - it's my new thing-- travel on christmas day. that way, i avoid the annual lemon family blowup. and this year it's gonna be a doozy. my aunt linda is bringing her new boyfriend, who is neither her age nor her race. and her ex-husband will also be there with his date, alcoholism. i swoop in the next day for presents and pie. - well, if you're around, come by for dinner. colleen will be up from florida, and, um, she'd love to see you.

- because my youthful energy makes her feel young? - no, because she views you as a peer she can complain with about how no one wears pantyhose any longer. - ah, how are we supposed to conceal our spider veins? bare-legged at christmas. okay, guys, this kabletown promo is the last thing we have to do before the holiday break. - liz lemon, i cannot participate in this promo. - why? - because it's not honest. as an actor, it is my job to tell the truth, hold the mirror to humanity, and sell proactiv. i will not spout your lies, liz lemon. and i will not say merry christmas from kabletown. - ever since tracy got nominated for a golden globe, he thinks he's sean penn. - well, they have both had screaming fights with wyclef jean. we'll just do this without him. merry christmas, jenna. you can say both lines. - [crying] merry christmas from kabletown and all of us at tgs. i think we got it. [sobbing] - wait, are--are you okay?

"tom ford and elton john invite you to new queer's eve." what is this? - nqe is the new year's party. everyone dresses up as a cultural figure from the past year. also replicas of the david urinate vodka. - oh, god. - paul and i were gonna come up with an amazing couple's costume. but now that he's gone, what's the point? this party means so much to me. i don't know what i'm gonna do without it. - the party or paul? - the party, liz. - good news. we don't have to do these promos after all. nbc says they want them from every show but us. - good year, everyone. [exciting jazz music] ♪ - [sighs] - what christmas card did we end up sending out? - oh...